Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[shadow]

I too loved Todd McKee and he also had a nice story with Trucua cast before she went to Y&R.

His replacement was Michael Brainard (ex Joey Martin from AMC)and he was HOT too and a good actor.

[Sapounopera]

Todd has great chemistry with Lane Davies (Mason). The original Capwell siblings worked great together.

[teplin]

Todd McKee and Lane Davies apparently got along real well off screen, too. I remember the soap mags covering the "world tour" the two of them took after they were off SB -- IIRC, they spent half a year or so traveling together to Europe and Africa. Make of that what you will.

[Sapounopera]

From what I remember they left town at around the same time in 1989. Perhaps I am crazy, but I also remember Mason saying goodbye to everybody and mentioning that he might end up in Bay City or Salem soon. It seemed so crazy to me back then

Both Ginas were wonderful. As a very young viewer I considered Robin's Gina, daytime's answer to Barbara Stanwyck's Stella Dallas. Linda was more of a Blanche Dubois.

[Urabamba]

Not to be naive and believe everything I read, but I'm pretty sure both of them are straight.

[juniorz1]

That surprises me, since the Dobsons severely backburnered Kelly when they came on, so Carrington Garland had very little to do until she was unceremoniously fired. If they meant when Eileen Davidson took over in October or so, then DEFINITELY.

I still can't believe the Dobsons did that- easily the biggest blunder they ever made on SB.

[juniorz1]

I LOVED Brainard & thought he did a great job making Ted his own. I actually preferred his version. His chemistry with Nina Arveson was the main thing that kept me watching during SB's final year. And of course, they didn't end up together. Thanks Rauch & Long.

[DRW50]

Oops. I meant 1990 -- the issue came out in early 1991.

[shadow]

I forgot that Terri Graber was on SB, I think I remember wanting her character to hook up with MB's Ted

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[juniorz1]

SOD got it wrong then, IMO. 1990 was the year that Garland became a breakout star IMO! I'll never understand the soap press & their unimaginative, overly critical take on CG's Kelly. She was pretty much UNIVERSALLY LOVED by the fans! Not an easy task, since Robin Wright was so identified with the role.

And then, Eileen Davidson comes on & I cannot tell you how many magazines literally said "Kelly's IQ just JUMPED 50 points!"

Yea, that's when Kelly suddenly became obsessed with Cruz, polyester pantsuits, black thick yet plucked(!?) eyebrows, ridiculous hats that belonged on a 15 year old with no sense of style, HUGE hoop earrings, polka dots, greasy hair, and a hard, oily, tanned face.

I remember the Dobsons saying that part of the reason for the recast was because Kelly had been married 4 times at that point & they wanted it to show more on her face.

If they meant oily buildup, hard lines, thicker eyebrows, bigger teeth, bright red lips, and a beauty mark large enough to considered Queen of the Mole People, then well done.

Yes, I HATED Eileen then and it took me a LONNNNNNNG time to come around to her.

And I'm tellin ya, Eileen is FAR more beautiful in 2010 than she was in 1991 and she's AGED 19 years! They say blondes don't age gracefully......well, apparently, bottle blondes do!

[DRW50]

That's a funny description. The hats sound like Blossom. Perhaps the shows were sharing wardrobe.

I guess that Eileen was a Y&R star and this was her return to daytime, right? So the soap press wanted it work for her. It's a shame Carrington got the shaft, because I remember liking her, and I have very vague memories of watching SB at that time. It is basically just her, Eden, and a bit of Gina and Sophia. I can't even remember the stories, but they all had such a striking presence.

I agree about Eileen's appearance -- I think it was her DAYS run which started her move upwards and she's looked even better the last 3-4 years. In the 80s and early 90s something wasn't quite right.

Edited October 16, 2010 by CarlD2

[juniorz1]

http://santabarbara-online.com/Kellyn4-67.jpg

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Edited October 16, 2010 by juniorz1

[DRW50]

Does she have dead bugs on her ears in the clip? I guess this was a popular look at the time -- I think Mary Ellen Stuart was sometimes dressed or made up that way as Frannie on ATWT. Either way it is not overly flattering. I think Eileen also looks better with less hair.

That beret is some sort of resistance movement.

Cruz/Kelly weren't popular, were they?

[Sapounopera]

I guess they brought Eileen in order to combine the Eden and Kelly characters in one. While watching those episodes I felt like Kelly was supposed to be the new Eden and Catrina was becoming the new Kelly. I was certain that Catrina would end up being C.C.'s daughter.

Carrington never really worked as Kelly for me. Perhaps it was story and her romances with Ric Castilio, Craig Hunt, Derek Griffin, Robert, Quinn and that singer/pianist, whose wife Renata was played by Deborah Adair for one episode. Kelly stopped acting like Kelly after she got involved with T.J. Daniels and the feud with Eden was a disaster. Robin played her as a beautiful princess and was very hard to be replaced. Carrington played the part of Eden2 and Eileen was brought to play both sisters under one name.

[juniorz1]

I disagree with your assessment of Carrington's Kelly Elsa, with all due respect. I did not find her to be a Mini-Eden at all- she was still very much Princess Kelly to me, CC's "kitten." And, while I know it's an unpopular opinion, I LOVED Kelly's rivalry with Eden at that time, partly because I was very anti-Robert/Eden. Eden wanted to have her cake & eat it too with Robert & Cruz and I thought Kelly's venom was justified. It helped that Carrington was surprisingly adept at playing bitchy. Kelly developed her backbone again under Garland, which was lost in the McArthur transition. I'll always adore her and liked her every bit as much as I did Robin Wright in the part.

To answer your question Carl, no, I have yet to find one single fan (literally) that liked the Kelly/Cruz pairing. It was just all kinds of wrong & Davidson shared ZERO chemistry with A Martinez, despite what she may have gone around telling the press. Plus, Eileen just wasn't right for the part.

I wish the clip were on youtube because I won't be able to do it justice but when Cruz left town to go on the run & make it seem like he killed Frank Goodman to spare insta-daughter BJ, Kelly met him at the airport runway & begged him to stay. As his plane began taking off, Kelly ran down the runway screeching, crying, and screaming "CRUUUUUZZZZ! NOOOOO!! PLEASSSSE! CRUUUZZZ" and Davidson was a hot mess. I don't know how she was on Y&R back in the day, but when she was on SB, Eileen was not only a terrible Kelly, but a terrible, TERRIBLE actress. That sequence just epitomized her awfulness.